The Way it Wasn't
by Jade Tatsu
Summary: A series of unrelated ficlets dealing with some amusing, and some serious 'what might have beens' set in the MegaMind universe. Mostly featuring the Incredibly Handsome Criminal Genius and Master of All Villainy, MegaMind.
1. League of Heroes versus MegaMind

**Title: **The Way It Wasn't  
**Author:** Jade Tatsu  
**Summary: **a series of unrelated ficlets dealing with some amusing, and some serious 'what might have beens' set in the MegaMind universe. Mostly featuring the Incredibly Handsome Criminal Genius and Master of All Villainy, MegaMind.

* * *

Arimos Sanchez groaned, holding his head in his hands as he looked down at the paperwork on his desk. He was the nominally appointed lawyer for the League of Heroes and in all his life, in fact, in all the history of the League no one could remember or had chronicled anything like the fiasco that was laid out in print before him.

It should have been simple enough. The resident super-villain of MetroCity, one MegaMind had finally defeated the super-hero, MetroMan and had in due course been arrested and imprisoned by the League of Heroes. The problem wasn't the fact that MetroMan had supposedly been indestructible, that he was rated as a Class S super-hero… these things happened. There were enough other examples of the supposedly undefeatable being brought low by a persistent or lucky enough villain. That wasn't the issue at all.

The issue had come later. And the issue came in the form of paper.

It had been polite at first. A slightly irate letter from MetroCity's Mayor and when that had been ignored, politely of course, it had escalated to what was before him; reams and reams of paper, all on High Court letterhead stating the case against the League.

In summary the League as a whole was being prosecuted for conspiracy to kidnap, unlawful imprisonment, and the League itself was being challenged with the statement that it was an illegal body and had thus unlawfully taken up the role of the Police and Military. Several high profile heroes, those who had actually taken in MegaMind were being specifically charged with assault, kidnapping, unlawful imprisonment, conduct endangering life and a whole host of conspiracy charges. If the situation hadn't of been so serious, he would have laughed. But when he'd arrived in Court, thinking that the case was a mere formality, or a misunderstanding, Arimos had realised exactly how serious this was, even if he was left more confused than ever as to what was up.

No city had ever wanted their super-villain back. And it wasn't that MetroCity just wanted MegaMind back. They were _demanding_ that he be returned to them. Not to face charges, not to be imprisoned. Nothing at all like that. They wanted him back _to be their super-villain_.

The sheer idiocy of the entire thing was giving him a headache.

He'd spent the entire hearing in a daze and was only grateful that the Judge adjourned when he did so he could collect his thoughts and try to work out exactly what was happening.

Arimos had retained enough sense that he'd tried asking for a better explanation but the entire group that was representing MetroCity had simply snorted at him and strode past, ignoring his requests. One of the women, a pretty thing who he vaguely recognised as a reporter had glared at him with true hatred in her eyes and had hissed _"You monsters!"_ at him before she collapsed and was led away by a large man weeping uncontrollably into his rather gentle embrace.

It wasn't until another reporter, someone covering the story of the LA Times, took him aside briefly that he even had an inkling of what was happening. They'd explained in short sentences and simple terms exactly why MetroCity was on the warpath against the League.

And the dichotomy between villain and hero had left him even more confused. The long and the short of it was that MetroCity didn't care that MegaMind had killed MetroMan. They didn't care that he had a reputation of being one of the most evil beings on the planet. It had been difficult for Arimos to wrap his mind around that, and then had come the kicker.

MetroCity wanted MegaMind back because he made the city _safer!_

A super-villain that kept the city safe? If that wasn't an oxymoron, Arimos didn't know what was.

He'd been left spluttering before the reporter took pity on him and explained further.

Apparently for all his schemes, and grand designs, MegaMind had never killed anyone… except for the afore mentioned indestructible MetroMan. Though, that alone, wasn't enough for MetroCity to be demanding their super-villain be returned to them. No, the real reason they were wanting him back was because he chased away other super-villains and as many other unsavoury characters as he could.

The League's lawyer didn't really believe it. It wasn't until he got back to his office and pulled up the crime statistics for MetroCity, those pertaining to damage and loss of life caused by super-villains, that he even began to understand. For the last twenty years while there had been extensive property damage, with the exception of MetroMan, no one had been seriously injured or killed by super-villain activity. And in that time, MegaMind had been the only super-villain of note in MetroCity. Others had popped up on occasion and just as quickly disappeared, usually to go terrorise some other city. Overall, for a city of that size and reputation, MetroCity had a surprisingly small population of super-heroes and villains.

It was so fantastically impossible that Arimos balked.

The entire thing came together for him when the black old style phone on his desk began ringing. He looked at it, trying to remember when Foundation of Evil or F.O.E. for short, ever directly contacted the League of Heroes and with great reluctance and no small amount of trepidation he picked up the phone.

The maniacal laughter resounding down the line did nothing to sooth his already unravelling nerves, nor did the whispered words, "The Foundation of Evil wishes the League of Heroes the best of luck in their fight against our newly declared unofficial Leader." And then the line went dead.

Arimos closed his eyes, holding his head in his hands, groaning as he remembered MegaMind's words to the Heroes who had dragged him off to their secure facility. They had been deceptively mild but their truth weighed upon him and now he began to see the real depth of the blue skinned alien's villainy. One of the heroes had taunted the super-villain, challenging him to escape from their escape proof jail.

MegaMind had just laughed, "I won't need to escape. _You_ will release me." And after that he'd said nothing further.

How the hell had the villain known what would happen? How the hell had the villain made this happen? This plan absolutely could not have already been in place! And he had had no contact with anyone, not even his piscine minion!

He barely noticed the door open as one of the heroes in training, someone from one of the teen leagues brought in a stack of paper and balanced it on the others that were haphazardly spread over his desk. With a sigh, Arimos reached out and took the top sheet before he froze, the paper fluttering down to the top of the stack that was already directly in front of him.

This time the paper wasn't adorned with the letterhead of the High Court. No, this time it was adorned with the letterhead of the United World Nations. He didn't even need to read it to know what it would say.

The League had just officially been disbanded.

MegaMind had won.

* * *

Okay that's one. :D I've got a few more but I'm not sure when I'll be updating them. The next one isn't as happy.

Feed back is appreciated since I'm still working on getting the characterisations right.


	2. Heroic Sacrifice

**Title: **The Way It Wasn't  
**Author:** Jade Tatsu  
**Summary: **a series of unrelated ficlets dealing with some amusing, and some serious 'what might have beens' set in the MegaMind universe. Mostly featuring the Incredibly Handsome Criminal Genius and Master of All Villainy, MegaMind.  
**Summary for this one:** When you are the League of Heroes and one of your most powerful super-heroes goes rogue? What is the price of victory and do you really know who pays that price?

* * *

Most super-heroes saw property destruction as the unavoidable consequence of apprehending villains. They never intended to cause damage and any damage they did do was almost always incidental to the damage that the villain caused.

That's why, when one of the most powerful members of the League of Heroes went rogue, almost all the other heroes in the world were rendered ineffectual by the death and damage caused.

Which is not to say that they would have been that effective anyway.

MetroMan, the resident super-hero of MetroCity was about as powerful as they came. Super strength, super speed, laser vision and super senses combined with invulnerability and no known weaknesses made him one of the strongest heroes on the planet. It also made him one of the deadliest villains. A fact no one really appreciated until it was too late.

Oh, the heroes tried to contain him. Their best and brightest and strongest tried to reason with him, to fight him or to subdue him. All they got was dead for their troubles. Which lead the League to look towards the one man who had fought MetroMan for years.

True, in all the years of battle he had never actually won against MetroMan and he had never made a scratch on the invulnerable hero but he had, if not walked away, then at least hobbled away from every battle to heal up and try again. And compared to the League's newfound and abhorrent lack of ability, the ability to walk away even in defeat took on a grand quality. It turned MegaMind from the ineffectual, incompetent most had thought him to be into potentially one of the strongest, most persistent evil beings on the planet.

And he was the only one they could ask for help.

Of course they had to find him.

And one thing that had been noted was that ever since MetroMan had begun his rampage, MegaMind had been conspicuous in his absence. What had been thought to be cowardice was now revealed to be simply good sense.

They were persistent though and with MetroCity burning around them they eventually found MegaMind's hideout and the blue alien himself. He on the other hand was not happy to see them. It lead to a standoff between the two, MegaMind and his piscine Minion facing off against the small group of League heroes who had found his base. The impasse was only broken when MetroMan came barrelling between them forcing all the individuals to scatter.

Of course that meant that MegaMind was now on the surface and one of the heroes made sure to scoop him up and drag him to the outskirts of the now ruined city. To say that the blue super-villain was unimpressed was an understatement and it took the combined skills of several heroes to keep him contained. The League began to see then that the one they had considered rather ineffectual was at least as dangerous as any of their villains.

Still, they managed to eventually explain the situation to the blue alien, something that if they had thought about it was a complete waste of time. MegaMind may never have defeated MetroMan but he was not stupid. He already knew what the situation was without their somewhat defensive and self-serving explanations and attempts to justify their actions. For their benefit and for the benefit of the refugees from MetroCity MegaMind managed to control his sarcasm.

"So you've come to me to ask if I have any method of defeating him, despite the fact that for the last 15 years I have not had any success in that matter. Somehow, because I have vastly more experience than you, I must know more?" The question was put to the heroes who reluctantly nodded.

MegaMind sighed, rolling his eyes before asking another question. "If I truly had any idea of how to defeat him, what makes you think I haven't tried it?"

The heroes had no answer to that question.

"Do you know why he went rogue?" One of them finally asked. If MegaMind did not have any method of defeating MetroMan then maybe he could shed light on the situation that caused the former hero to go rogue.

The blue skinned villain laughed. "He got rejected in his musical career," the alien muttered ignoring the gasps from the heroes.

"Is that all?" the question was incredulous.

"That's all," MegaMind confirmed. "It's not like MetroMan has ever been anything but a self-centred jerk."

"So I see," one of the older heroes agreed, ignoring the looks of surprise from his fellows. The same hero, a grizzled old war veteran who had fought almost every super-villain in the Foundation of Evil walked up to MegaMind, moving to step in front of him to stare him straight in the eye. "Do you know any way of _killing _MetroMan?"

MegaMind's silence was telling but eventually he spoke. "Of course I do. I figured out how to kill him when I was fourteen but killing him is no fun, far better to defeat the supposedly undefeatable."

"How?" The old hero asked.

"Why should I tell you?"

"Because that seems to be the only way of stopping him," the old hero said, gesturing towards the burning remains of the city. "And I think you want to stop him more than the rest of us. This is your city."

The assembled heroes watched as the self-proclaimed master of all villainy surveyed the damage. There wasn't much left of the city and there had already been countless numbers of lives lost with no end in sight. Once MetroMan finished with the city he would move on, and no one had any chance of stopping him.

"Where is Minion?"

"Right here, Sir," the piscine's voice was soft as he walked up to his Master. The watching heroes saw the glances that passed between master and servant but none of them could understand the silent conversation.

"I will not do it," MegaMind said.

"Do what?"

"Kill him."

"What? You have to!" It was one of the younger heroes who objected.

"You are talking about murder," the usually bubbly super-villain said softly with a serious tone. "You have implied that I should just do it, so that you can keep your clean hands and cleaner reputations. Not today. I will give you the means, you will have to carry out the deed. _This_," the criminal mastermind gestured towards the city, "was not of my doing. That was caused by humans."

"I'll do it," the older hero spoke again. "Just tell me how."

Reluctantly Minion reached into his suit as MegaMind took a small vial from his belt. The blue skinned alien took the small container Minion offered him and deftly removed the lid before dripping in a few drops of liquid from the vial he held. Then he recapped the container and shook it.

"Take this," MegaMind said, handing over the small container. "Don't open it here. Take it to as close to him as you can, then open it, and make sure he breathes it in. He doesn't know what it is, so he won't try to escape. The reaction will kill him within a minute."

"What about the rest of us?"

MegaMind snorted. "It's perfectly safe for you humans but it will kill anything from the Glaopunk Quadrant."

At the disbelieving looks on the hero's faces the evil genius laughed. "What? You didn't think he was human did you?" the question was scornful.

There was no answer and eventually the older hero shook his head. "It doesn't matter. I'll be back shortly," the man said before walking towards the burning city.

MegaMind ignored the other heroes who are watching him with distaste as he turned his back to the city and looked up at the sky. It doesn't really take that long at all before the slightest smell drifted to him between the burning smoke. Minion came and stood beside him and together they sat down, watching the sky.

The other heroes keep watching the city. They don't notice as MegaMind's breathing becomes shallow and his eyes drift close. They don't feel anything wrong as Minion stills and his suit slumps further. And they don't hear anything as MegaMind's heart slows and falters and stops. They don't think anything odd with the way the super-villain just sits there with his servant, at least they don't think anything of it until the older hero returns his eyes grim.

"Sir?" the young bravado's question is tentative.

"It's done. It worked just the way he said it would," the man's voice is gruff and it's only then that the younger heroes begin to get an inkling that something is amiss. MegaMind has wanted to defeat MetroMan for so long that surely, at the news of his death he would be saying something. But the blue super-villain is silent.

It's a moment of epiphany for most of them, when they walk around the seated pair to see MegaMind's green eyes closed, his face relaxed, with his hands folded over an oddly silent brain-bot. The truth of his words hit home and they can do little more than watch the remains of the city burn in the back ground.

"Darn fool," the older hero whispers, but his voice was thick with respect.

And as the realisation of what MegaMind has given and what they have done sinks into the gathered heroes as they watch the burning city, knowing that it is the pyre raised by one of their own, they are forced to wonder what true evil is.

* * *

I mucked the tenses up a bit near the end. :( Sorry. And yes, I LIKE writing from other perspectives rather than the main character. What others see and think about the events is always fun to me.

Next up - When you are a super-villain in MetroCity, it pays to learn the rules in advance. Unfortunately for I-vel Icarus Johnston, he didn't and he's about to get a forceful education.


	3. EvilVillain versus Evil SuperVillain

**Title: **The Way It Wasn't  
**Author:** Jade Tatsu  
**Summary: **a series of unrelated ficlets dealing with some amusing, and some serious 'what might have beens' set in the MegaMind universe. Mostly featuring the Incredibly Handsome Criminal Genius and Master of All Villainy, MegaMind.  
**Summary for this one:** When you are a super-villain in MetroCity, it pays to learn the rules in advance. Unfortunately for Icarus Johnston, he didn't and he's about to get a forceful education.

* * *

In retrospect, I-vel, also known as Icarus Johnston, didn't know what he had been thinking when he'd kidnapped Roxanne Ritchi, MetroMan's girlfriend. Oh, there'd been all the usual thoughts, how he was going to defeat the super-hero and take his place as one of the most feared super-villains of all time and how in that act he'd show how ineffectual and weak MegaMind was. He had plenty of bravado and plots and his daydream of being inducted into the Foundation of Evil was positively electrifying!

Of course, none of that had happened, and as he was being escorted through the prison's corridors, he was still trying to work out what had gone wrong.

Kidnapping Miss Ritchi had been easy. He'd simply come up behind her in the corridor of her apartment building and dragged her down one of the fire escapes. The climb up had been far worse than the climb down, despite the extra weight. And he'd gotten back to his Lair without hassle.

Things had only started to go wrong there.

He had resisted the urge to monologue, something he had found surprisingly difficult all things considered. But he had managed, answering Miss Ritchi's almost constant stream of questions with a silent glare. Eventually though he'd resorted to threats. He needed the peace and quiet. And when threats had failed he'd gagged her somewhat viciously.

So far so good.

He'd tinkered a bit with the bomb she was tied to. He had to make sure everything was perfect before he called for MetroMan.

And that's when the first thing went wrong. He'd been so sure of his ability, so sure of his equipment that he just didn't know why it didn't work! He had been planning to hijack the airwaves to make the call but mid-hack he'd come up against some unknown firewall. Every single back door or convoluted means of trying to get through it that he tried was foiled. Some so fast that it left his head spinning.

There was _no one_ who was meant to be able to out program him! Certainly no one who should be protecting the television feeds of MetroCity, yet apparently there was.

So the theatrics of calling for MetroMan in the style of MegaMind was denied to him and despite the fact that it was a pure copy of MegaMind's technique I-vel had been determined to try it. He had been going to show that wanna-be ineffectual excuse for super-villain what presentation really was! But how could he when no one could see him?

Eventually he'd dismissed the thought, reasoning to himself that he didn't need people to see him, his victory would take care of everything. And so he'd riffled through Miss Ritchi's clothes generously making sure he took the time to feel all her curves as he searched for her cell phone.

He'd just been making the call when there had been a loud crash from somewhere outside and irritated, he'd put the phone down and gone to investigate. The crash hadn't stopped at one, instead more had followed and they'd gotten louder and he'd only been able to jump back from the door in the nick of time as it imploded.

What he saw next he would remember for the rest of his life.

It was huge, and it was black and sleek and dangerous and the only bit of colour about it was the glowing green eyes that narrowed ominously at him.

And then all he really knew was pain. _Something _grabbed him and something had thrown him into the ground… repeatedly. Something that had hissed and growled and whispered to him in the softest sweetest voice, a voice that embraced his senses and made his mind scream, something that had touched his soul with the caress of true evil. "This one belongs to me." After that, things went black and the next thing he remembered was waking up hand cuffed and being dragged into MetroCity's Prison for Gifted Criminals.

His thoughts were interrupted by a crude laugh. "We got a new one, huh?" One of the prisoners taunted.

The guard to the left of him turned and snorted, "He'll be shipped out in the morning."

It made no sense, but _all_ the prisoners started laughing. "What'd he do?"

"He kidnapped Roxanne Ritchi," the guard shrugged, pushing I-vel to continue moving.

Around them came a number of impressed whistles and some very disturbing laughs. "Wow man! He must be tougher than he looks."

"Yeah! The last one was in traction for a month."

"The last one got her bruised, this one didn't do anything," the guard said.

I-vel shook his head, not understanding the conversation going on around him. He knew _who_ had rescued Miss Ritchi, he just hadn't believed it. Yet the prisoners and the guards did not seem surprised. Instead they were surprised that he was still walking.

"The boss must have taken it easy."

The guard shrugged again and unceremoniously pushed I-vel into a cell, sliding the door closed and locking it securely.

And that's when he looked up… and up into the face of his cell mate. The man was huge with a bit of flab but really with the amount of muscle on him, no one would even notice a little bit of fat. Icarus swallowed nervously and timidly moved to sit on one of the bunks.

"Well kid, you are only going to be here a day, but I'd better explain the rules," the large prisoner rumbled and I-vel suddenly found himself grasping at the words. At least if the man was talking he wasn't hitting him and why had the guards disappeared so quickly?

"Rules?"

"Yah, the Rules."

Icarus nodded as he understood. Didn't all TV drama's say that _someone_ ran the prison and that someone was never the warden. Maybe something would make sense this time.

"First rule, you don't cross the boss… but you already know that."

"The boss?"

"The boss, you met him."

"_What?_" That made no sense… They couldn't possibly be talking about… but they had to be… and the prisoner before him was watching him with every degree of seriousness. So were the others… There was not so much as a smattering that this might be some kind of joke.

"Well," the large man said finally, "I guess he's not really the Boss, since he don't actually run things. Call him the Over-Lord instead… I think he'd prefer that actually."

"No way."

"Kid, this city runs on certain rules and you broke those rules. Why do you think you are getting shipped out so fast? You crossed the Over-Lord and while he may have taken it easy on you, you are in for a world of pain here."

"What? All I did was kidnap one stinking repo…"

I-vel never finished the sentence because the floor rose sharply to meet his face and the other side gave a throb of pain.

"Shut your mouth," his cell mate rumbled and Icarus was genuinely shocked to see the burning anger here. "Now listen up brat. It don't matter what you think, what you believe or what you think you know. The Boss is the Boss. What he says goes.

"Now for the most part, he don't give a crap about what we do but there are rules and those rules are obeyed absolutely."

"Heh," I-vel scoffed, holding his cheek. "What's he gonna do? He doesn't kill."

The large prisoner actually looked amused. "That we know of," he replied and then paused, allowing Icarus to absorb the words. "Geez, I didn't think I was going to have to spell this out for you. What are those things up there called?" The large man pointed to the high ceiling outside their cell.

Icarus looked and felt his eyes widen. There, hiding in the shadows was a small glowing point, that if he strained his ears he could hear a faint 'bouwing'. He was unaware that he had scrambled to his feet and had backed himself into the furthest corner of the cell.

With surprising gentleness his cell mate pushed him back towards the hard pellet that served as a bed to sit again. "It don't matter, but they are brain bots, and the brains have to come from somewhere. Just because he's got no record of killing, don't mean he hasn't. That just means he's better at hiding it than the rest of us.

"But anyway, the rules are simple. One, you don't cross the boss. Two, you do not touch Roxanne Ritchi on pain of a fate worse than death and three, while prison breaks are allowed, even encouraged, you do not hurt the Warden, ever. Apart from that… we can do what we want. You got that kid?"

"I don't understand," Icarus was on the verge of crying.

The prisoner laughed. All the prisoners laughed. "Oh, don't worry," one of the prisoners shouted from across the way. "We got 24 hours to make sure you understand."

I-vel's eyes widened and he felt himself backing into the corner again as his cell mate rose, towering over him. It was almost tender, the way the man reached out and patted his head. "Oh, don't worry," he repeated the words, "I'll make sure you understand."

There was a loud 'bouwing,' this time from within the cell and Icarus shrieked as the thing grabbed the back of his orange jump suit and hauled him upwards.

"Thank you Crusher," his cell mate said softly and I-vel didn't feel much after that, or rather he felt everything as every bruise and tear and laceration that the blue skinned freak of a super-villain had given him was soon joined by another.

The next day, when the guards stretchered him out, intending to transfer him to another facility far way, Icarus still didn't really understand what had gone wrong. He just knew, he was never returning to MetroCity again.

* * *

Next up - MetroMan says a few words to MegaMind that the blue alien genius takes to heart and is determined to prove wrong. After that, things are never the same.


	4. Never Let It Be Said

**Title: **The Way It Wasn't  
**Author:** Jade Tatsu  
**Summary: **a series of unrelated ficlets dealing with some amusing, and some serious 'what might have beens' set in the MegaMind universe. Mostly featuring the Incredibly Handsome Criminal Genius and Master of All Villainy, MegaMind.  
**Summary for this one:** MetroMan says a few words to MegaMind that the blue alien genius takes to heart and is determined to prove wrong. After that, things are never the same.

* * *

"You're incompetent!"

That was the phrase that started it all. Two words, three if you don't want to include the contraction and the world we knew ended.

It didn't end immediately. No it was more a slow creeping death that no one saw until it was too late. And since most of us are still alive, death is arguable. Freedom is gone though, free speech, and all the other things we think of in our society. They are gone. So is religion and quite a lot of pollution is also gone. So from some angles it might seem great, from others, for those who remember the time before, it is a nightmare. Imagine waking up one day and realising that you had no choice about anything. That's really what happened. For some anyway.

Everyone knows theoretically that they could choose. No one actually makes any choices. I'm one of the few that still has choices and I still make them.

And how does that connect to those words? Well, those were the words that changed the course of history.

You see, once upon a time there was a super-villain. His name was MegaMind and he fought against the super-hero of MetroCity. Sounds fairly easy, right? Almost normal. There were plenty of super-villains and heroes duking it out. Not in MetroCity. In MetroCity there really was only super-hero and one super-villain.

Wow, you might be thinking, that's a cushy job for the hero, only ever having to deal with one villain. You might think that and most of us probably would have been thrilled. Unfortunately though, as can often be the case with a lack of stimulation, repetition becomes obvious. And it was on one fateful day that a frustrated MetroMan made the fatal utterance.

Eh, couldn't be that bad could it? It's not like super-villains have feelings is it? And it's not like MegaMind couldn't see the connection himself.

Take it from me, it was that bad. Oh not at first. At first it appeared as if nothing had changed. MetroMan dragged MegaMind back to the city's prison for Gifted Criminals and about two days later, MegaMind escaped. Yeah, nothing wrong there, that was all par for the course.

It took a couple of years, so it's understandable that no one really noticed it happening and in those days there were technological advancements all the time. Computers, cell phones, televisions, you name it, it was developed and enhanced. Every little thing that could make life easier was embraced. So when a few more inventions showed up, better and brighter than all the rest, is it any wonder that people embraced them? Oh, sure companies copied them and then the lawyers got to have some fun. It wasn't until both Sony and Apple both had to pay out billions in reparation for stealing ideas that anyone really began to see how dangerous the new inventions were. And even then it wasn't that they saw danger, it's just that they realised that the company making and marketing them, one Triple M Industries, was actually serious about defending their intellectual property and had the where-with-all and the moxy to actually do it. The court case had dragged on for years, and they had doggedly stayed in it. The only thing to note is that about three years into the case, Triple M Industries altered their name to Triple M and R Industries. The courts shrugged, the world paid no attention and life went on.

The payout collapsed the two companies and they were quietly bought out. Samsung didn't even bother going appearing when their case came up, instead they cut a deal and by then most of the other companies had been quietly bought up.

There's been a few stock brokers who talk of those times; Of how in the industry there appeared to be a giant shark circling the waters, snapping up every company that showed good sense or decent product, how everything was becoming united under the one company. Most of the world didn't care. Why should they? Food kept appearing, technological gizmos kept appearing, they went to work, they earned their pay, they went home. Nothing changed and nothing was likely to change.

Oh, if only people had paid slightly more attention.

Don't get me wrong. Some people did realise that something was up. Miss Roxanne Ritchi was probably the first to know. She worked out that something was wrong in the two weeks after MegaMind's escape when she was not kidnapped. The weeks turned into a month, and the month into two and she _knew_ then absolutely that something had changed. She had no idea what though and before she could investigate, before anything much could happen KMCP let her go.

Now why would they let their previous star reporter go? Simple, she wasn't rating and television is ruthless that way.

Without the constant attention from either MegaMind or the city's hero MetroMan, while she was pretty, she just didn't rate. Humans are fickle that way, always wanting superficial beauty. Oh the network didn't just fire her, there are rules against that after all. But they did move her on to secondary stories and then into research and background checks and then she was quietly let go. Retrenchments you understand, changing station personal requirements and all those other related excuses.

Three weeks after that, and about a year after MegaMind had last kidnapped her, Roxanne Ritchi disappeared. No signs of a struggle, no takeover of the airwaves with the call for MetroMan to come rescue her, nothing. No body was ever found and after a week or so of interest, people went back to not caring.

And like that, one of the two people who might _possibly_ have been able to warn the world disappeared. The second one, Wayne Scott disappeared half a year later. It did cause a bit of a scandal when Scott Industries was declared bankrupt. The playboy Wayne Scott was at a bit of a loss and truthfully his fortune had been administered by others, never by him, so even if he wanted to turn around the crippling losses he didn't know how. Quietly, almost ceremoniously, Wayne Scott, also known as MetroMan was dumped on to the street. No money, no possessions, very few real friends and almost no prospects.

Five weeks after that he disappeared and no one cared. He cared. MetroMan that is. I know this for a fact because I was there when he died… Or was killed… however you want to say it. It was murder, I acknowledge, cold blooded in the extreme but was the one thing I could never have talked him out of. I didn't really try, I admit. I don't know the details. I do know that it was long and bloody and visceral. It had MetroMan screaming out that he was sorry and I do know that the last words he ever heard were those that started it all.

"You're incompetent."

Because it was true. In so many ways, Wayne Scott, MetroMan was incompetent. He was not that great a super-hero that most thought he was. Not compared with other cities, not when you really looked at the crime statistics. He barely did anything. And he was not capable with music, and as for his ability in running his family's estates… The only reason it took so long for the Scott name to become bankrupt is that the Administrators _were_ decent. MetroMan just spent his income, he didn't care for how it was generated.

Some of the world heroes noticed he was gone, but since there had been no climatic battle, most just assumed he was in hiding or was ashamed and left it be. No one investigated, no one really cared. After all, it wasn't like there was a super-villain threatening MetroCity. In the two or so years that MetroMan had told his foe that he was incompetent, after breaking out of prison MegaMind had disappeared and no one had seen hide nor hair of the super-villain. And strangely no other super-villain had taken up residence in MetroCity.

The world spun on and Triple M and R Industries bought out the Scott's debts and all other holdings and that was the end of that.

After that, there was no one left who could warn them, no one left who would know the people involved. A few people saw what was happening. Some of the other super-heroes and villains and business men and women were not so dense so as not to see as their world was changing around them. For the most part they were bought out, or otherwise… encouraged to be silent. Until everything was ready, and then everything changed, and the world that was died.

Triple M and R Industries showed the world exactly how much they controlled… well… everything. Governments fell, militaries foundered, heroes tried to fight but found it difficult to fight the economy. There was a few who tried to target the owners of Triple M and R but the only problem with that scheme was that no one knew exactly who they were.

And so we are here. The world is one giant corporation and it's ruled as such. There's very little hope if you get fired so you work hard and earn your pay. You don't pay taxes but everything you buy, food, electronics, even your house, it's all provided and owned by Triple M and R Industries. All the money, all life belongs to them.

Do I care about this? Not really… it's just the way the world is. Just the way it was built after those fatal words MetroMan uttered.

How do I know this? That's simple, I know what the three M's and the R stand for. I was there, I watched everything and I saw the damage MetroMan did when he said those words, and I watched as the light faded from green eyes. I saw the world die that day, and a part of me died with it. But I've watched for years after as the phoenix rose and I watch now as the world continues on, never knowing but always feeling the consequences of one man's words.

And somehow I really don't care. After all, after everything that's happened, it's not like anyone will ever dare to call my beloved husband incompetent again.

* * *

**Up next - **There were two planets in the Glaupunk Quadrant but not much more is known about them on Earth. On other planets though… they know and fear a lot more.


	5. On Other Worlds

**Title: **The Way It Wasn't  
**Author:** Jade Tatsu  
**Summary: **a series of unrelated ficlets dealing with some amusing, and some serious 'what might have beens' set in the MegaMind universe. Mostly featuring the Incredibly Handsome Criminal Genius and Master of All Villainy, MegaMind.  
**Summary for this one:** There were two planets in the Glaupunk Quadrant but not much more is known about them on Earth. On other planets though… they know and fear a lot more.

* * *

Z'xi'qon of the Galactic Federation of Delioum was new to Earth but that didn't matter. He, she, it… they were all applicable was joining their League of Heroes in a gesture of good will. It was kind of exciting and Z'xi'qon was looking forward to it. He'd learned the language already though it was somewhat restrictive but it would do.

The people of his planet were quite a bit stronger than the average human, and for him, Earth's gravity didn't work quite the same way as it did for the natives. All in all, while he didn't anticipate much trouble from taking a place as a hero on this world, Z'xi'qon fully intended to be careful. He was not invulnerable like the Metro's, but they and their Overlords, the Megas had been extinct for the last 30 years or so.

It had been such a relief for the galaxy! The war that had been going on for centuries was finally over. Most thought the war had ended when the combined forces of the Federation of Delioum and every other sentient race had somehow, impossibly managed to trap the two races on separate planets. It was a stroke of luck that the sun in that system had degenerated into a black hole. At least, that was the official story. Most suspected that some race had kindly tinkered with the mechanics of the star a bit, accelerating its fusion so that it became unstable.

Whatever had happened, be it natural or assisted causes, no one had looked into the matter too closely. They'd been too happy celebrating the end of a war no one had really ever believed would be over.

It was almost impossible to think that only two races could have brought the entire galaxy to its knees but they had. The Metros were the foot soldiers. They'd been enhanced and given power beyond anything any other race had foreseen or could counter. They were reasonably intelligent, though not obsessively so. It didn't suit the Megas for their troops to be too smart but they could make basic decisions. The Metro's real enhancements were their bodies. Super strength, super senses, super speed and laser and other forms of vision were just the beginning. All of those things could be countered. Even the gift of flight, while troublesome was not unique.

No there were three things that made the Mega's troops so dangerous. One, invulnerability. The Metro's truly were completely impervious to anything thrown at them. Two, their masters. Each Metro was bonded some way to one of the Megas and that individual Mega was capable of controlling their servant over vast amounts of space. That meant that any Mega who was captured during the war was easily rescued and returned to the guarded safety of the Mega's ships. And third, their hair. It was genetically impossible for the Metro's to have such perfect hair, but they did! The Megas had just sniggered when asked how. It was a secret they had taken to the grave.

If only they hadn't been so hell bent on galactic domination! But they had been and the battles had been vast and bloody. The Megas were highly intelligent and the only reason that the galaxy's other sentient beings had been able to hold out so long was the ability to be unpredictable, that and the fact that there were only limited numbers of both Megas and Metros.

The Megas were so intelligent that they could counter almost every scenario but they simply lacked the numbers to be able to cover everywhere. It was a fact the rest of galaxy was very thankful for.

And all that was an aside Z'xi'qon knew he really shouldn't be indulging in. It did nothing to help the humans he had agreed to protect and he pushed the thoughts away, listening as one of the local earth heroes explained as best they could the way the planet's justice, economic and other systems worked.

After they finished a basic run down of the planet's systems, he was subjected to watching picture after picture of the planet's heroes, each with a name, and some basic information about their skills. Z'xi'qon had been told that usually the whole orientation process took a lot longer, since no one really absorbed information that fast but after assuring the League of Heroes and proving by quoting back the last few things they had showed him they were comfortable with a very rushed induction. The pictures of the heroes were going by him so fast that he almost missed it.

If it hadn't been for the fearfully familiar visage he would have.

"_Wait!_" the cry startled the heroes watching.

"Hmm?"

"Go back three pictures."

They obliged and flicked the images back to the one he requested and Z'xi'qon looked at it carefully. The silence in the room stretched as the alien considered the image. When he'd first seen it, his brain had decided that it was merely co-incidence. The name, the face… everything but now he wasn't so sure. Z'xi'qon tapped the screen, bringing up more information about the hero.

_Name: MetroMan  
Alias: Wayne Scott  
Base of Operation: MetroCity  
Species: Human  
Powers: Invulnerability, super senses, super strength, laser vision, X-ray vision, flight, super speed  
Intelligence: Average  
Partners: None _

The species had thrown him. "Is this accurate?" Z'xi'qon asked, keeping his uncertainty out of his voice.

"As accurate as we can make it. He filled out most of it. We all filled them out."

"'Species: Human'," the Delioum murmured. It was almost too much. MetroMan of MetroCity… was that just a co-incidence, or was it something deeper? The cockily smiling picture before him looked like a Metro but then Z'xi'qon had seen other humans who looked like Metros, especially other heroes with their buff muscles and rugged looks.

"Z'xi'qon, what's the matter?" A new voice asked, and he recognised one of the female heroes, one who could miraculously pronounce his name correctly… or at least as correctly as someone from earth could.

"He looks…" the Delioum wasn't sure exactly what to say so decided on a cautious path. "He looks like a species that went extinct thirty or so years ago."

"Is that a bad thing?"

_Was it a bad thing?_ Z'xi'qon considered. By itself, no, it wasn't. If this MetroMan was really a Metro, and he was playing the hero then it wasn't bad. So long as he was alone. So long as the Megas had died, the Metros might have been salvageable but the Metros and the Megas had been so tightly bound together that Z'xi'qon didn't think it was possible to separate the two.

"Z'xi'qon, what's the matter?" The question was repeated. "You look terrified. Wayne won't hurt you," the laugh was carried in the voice.

"It's not Wayne I'm worried about," the word's slipped out.

"Z'xi'qon, I think you'd better explain."

The Delioum took a deep breath. "I think I had," he agreed before pushing the screen with the smiling picture away from him. "Thirty years ago, two planets were sucked into a black hole and the galaxy celebrated. The war was over. On those two planets were the last of the Metros and the Megas. You have to understand, we were at war for _centuries_ against them."

"The Delioum?"

"No," Z'xi'qon shook his head, "Everyone."

"Everyone?" one of the heroes whispered, stunned.

Z'xi'qon nodded. "Everyone. The war spanned the entire galaxy. Planets like your one were left out of it, but every other planet where there was space capable life, they _all_ fought in the war. Why do you think we are at peace? We learnt the value of peace, of life, fighting against the Megas and their slave warriors, the Metros."

"And you think Wayne is a Metro?"

"I… yes… I don't know. He looks like one."

"Okay… even if he is a Metro, what is the problem?"

Z'xi'qon smiled. Some of the heroes of earth were almost endearing with the way they tried to understand everything. And to reason and rationalise. It was a pity that on this, if MetroMan really was a Metro and his bonded Mega had survived, there would be nothing to rationalise. The galactic fleet would be on its way as fast as it could and that would be that. No one was willing to risk even one Mega surviving. "If he's alone, the sole survivor of the Glaupunk quadrant, it means nothing. If his master lives that changes everything."

"His master? You called them 'Megas'."

"Yes, each Metro had a Mega master. That's what made them so hard to deal with. We couldn't kidnap any of the Megas because their personal slave would rescue them or prevent it in the first place."

"What did they look like?"

The Delioum was tempted to say 'Like monsters' but that answer wouldn't help, so he stuck with a purely physical description, which is what the humans wanted anyway. "They were bipedal, and weren't particularly tall. In your terms, I'd say about oh… about yey high," he gestured.

"So about 5'5'' or 5'6''," one of the heroes said and Z'xi'qon shrugged. He didn't understand their height reckonings yet. They seemed to keep changing the units on him.

"They were fairly slender, thinner than you and their heads were disproportionally large. They were highly intelligent. They had fairly quick healing, but nothing like super healing and were genetically engineered to be tough. After all, the Metros were as gentle as they could be but they were still super strong so their masters had to be able to resist that. Oh, and from a human point of view, their main defining feature was that they had blue skin."

It was the silence that let him know something was wrong. It wasn't the silence of attentive listening. It was the silence of disbelief and he felt his silence of horror growing. They couldn't be… There was no way… How was this planet even still free if there was a Mega on it?

"They wouldn't have looked like… this?" One of the heroes asked, tapping a few buttons on the display to bring up a new data file with a new picture.

Z'xi'qon screamed!

"But he's harmless!" The gathered Earth Heroes objected. "He's never once defeated MetroMan, hasn't even made a scratch!"

The Delioum gulped, breathing heavily as he tried to compose himself. It was difficult, especially with the humans calling the Mega 'harmless'. They were anything but. They were cold, calculating, sadistic torturers who had inflicted centuries of war on the universe. And yet here was one on Earth and the gathered Heroes showed not so much as an inkling of fear. Granted they were heroes and were expected to be brave but there was not even an undercurrent of concern. Z'xi'qon forced himself to read the information beside the picture of the blue skinned alien.

_Name: MegaMind  
Alias: None known  
Base of Operation: MetroCity  
Species: Unknown Alien  
Powers: extreme intelligence best characterised by inventions  
Intelligence: un-calculated  
Partners: Minion _

"He's a Mega," Z'xi'qon said quietly. "That's his species. And I don't care how harmless you think he is, he's not, and I can't… the Delioum Federation can't let him live. If you oppose us on this, you will be opposing the Galaxy."

"Whoa! Whoa! Let's just all take a minute," one hero said breathily. "I've called Wayne. He can sort this out in an instant."

All the heroes watched the way their new ally ground his teeth together. "There is nothing to sort out. No Megas can be allowed to survive, _anywhere._"

"Well, it appears my little blue buddy is right," a new voice interrupted. "The Delioum really are psychotic and destructive."

"Metro!" Z'xi'qon hissed.

"Delioum," the man most of the heroes knew as MetroMan greeted the alien. They stared at each other for long moments before Wayne smiled. It was not his usual smile, though it was full of mocking self-confidence. "So what are you going to do now, Delioum? Call your battle fleet? I wouldn't advise it."

"And why not? Afraid you can't protect your master?"

"I'm more afraid of the consequences of your actions. One thing you Delioum always forget is how playful the Megas could be. We made a deal, my Mega and I. We play a game, it has set rules, yet if you break those rules, I don't think you are ready for the repercussions."

"We've faced hundreds of Megas, why should we be afraid of one?" Z'xi'qon snapped, trying to work out where this was heading. The watching heroes were silent. This was a side of their associate they had never seen. A side of both of them that had never been seen.

"You shouldn't be afraid, you should be terrified. The Megas you are used to fighting have limits. My little blue buddy does not. His cultural conditioning adjusted for this planet, and for humans as a species since they are cross fertile with both of us, for aliens, he feels nothing."

"What is this about?" one of the heroes objected.

"Nothing."

"Everything."

MetroMan and Z'xi'qon answered simultaneously.

"This is not nothing," Z'xi'qon retorted after a moment spent glaring at the Metro.

"Oh it is," MetroMan said, and there was a note of arrogance in his voice that the others hadn't ever heard before. "MegaMind and I made a deal many years ago. We play a game with each other and we will continue to play a game, unless you interfere, then our game over and our deal is null and void and terms and conditions you are more familiar with will be enforced. You could walk away now and report nothing, but if you touch him, his Minion or the reporter he's fond of kidnapping, then I _will_ take apart your planet."

"Wayne…" One of the heroes started uncertainly as victory flashed over Z'xi'qon's face. "What are you saying?"

"It doesn't matter what I'm saying, it's too late," the usually talkative hero of MetroCity said. "And I've already said too much."

"You have."

Everything seemed to freeze and it took a moment for those gathered to realise that they had in fact _been_ frozen. "MegaMind," the female hero hissed.

"You were expecting someone else?" the blue skinned alien questioned almost amused as he sauntered into the room and ran one long fingered hand up over Z'xi'qon's chest to rest one finger under his fellow alien's chin. "A Delioum," MegaMind murmured, "I've only ever seen your kind via the education chips left to me. I never thought I'd actually meet one. I am, however, very glad to see you."

"MegaMind," MetroMan said his voice hollow and questioning.

"No, Wayne. I appreciate that you have kept our terms, and that you would try to talk them out of this but they have broken our agreement and as much as I would be willing to forget this, the threat to both of us is too great. This Delioum won't forget."

"Clause Seven Alpha?" MetroMan questioned, and at the look of sad horror on his face, the frozen heroes quivered.

"Very good, Wayne, Clause Seven Alpha, genuine threats to our lives end the pact," MegaMind smiled as he nodded gently towards Z'xi'qon. "Which leads us to Order Omega Theta though... bring me the Delioum once you are done. This is too good an opportunity for me to pass up."

"You won't get away with this!" the female hero hissed.

MegaMind frowned as he turned towards her. "Why not? I have every other time," he said with a smug smile. "You're heroes. Death is an occupational hazard. Wayne, for the locals make it look… natural. I'm not ready to take on the universe… yet.

"Caio, caio, all."

* * *

Just not _happy_ with the ending of this. The last two paragraphs have been re-written several times, have had extra things attached, have been cut and hacked and changed but I just can't quite get the level of menace I wanted. And in the end I wanted to put in the Caio to tie back to the movie, despite how 'un-villain-ish' it is, simply because it wasn't evil.

**Up next (probably) - **The Foundation of Evil needs help so they've put in the call to the only source of assistance they have on the planet, the League of Heroes. What exactly could they possibly need help with?


End file.
